Just joined this forum a couple of days ago. I was just wondering if there are any TCKs in the Kansas City metro area; would be nice to meet people I could really relate to.

Thanks

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Just heard recently about the concept of (A)TCKs and the existing body of literature about us(?) from a friend who is also TCK from the other side of the planet. So I just decided to check out what others have or have had to say.

I don’t know what an intro is supposed to look like, but in a nutshell: I was born in Cote d’Ivoire and grew up there from very conservative Burkinabe parents (I hear half of you kiddos know world geography, so no need to explain, I suppose). In addition to the local sense of otherness we got, our parents instilled in us a strong sense of their identity that we were supposed to keep. Inevitably, at age 16, I was thrust back into the “homeland” which soon did the opposite of what I left behind: man, you speak the language and everything, but you are really not from here… you have no clue when it comes to storytelling and idioms.

About ten years later, I graduated with an MA in English and American civilization and decide to see what’s going on in the land of the free. Another ten year or so later, I got two other master degrees and a great job, but looking around, I have a hard time naming a friend, a true one – like someone else said, who understands me. Even worse, is the fact that this lack of understanding seems to often be turned against me as a blame… More than ever, today in my mid-30s, I feel like I don’t know where I fit.

As many of you might relate, making acquaintances is so easy: just the sound of my accent is an attractive feature that lasts as long as it takes to make or completely miss a joke. No true friend, though I know so many people, no girlfriend that will stick too long because I easily turn into too much of a puzzle, especially since I have not decided that living in America (and in the Midwest) is a must, that makes matters worse. In relationships with girls it is a bit like this: “If you would just be your beautiful multilingual, accented, smart, world-knowledgeable… self but not be different from me and my friends…”

You get the picture… and I will stop here. I guess I said all this in the hope that someone can: (1) relate; (2) tell me what I am (TCK or CCK, Third TCK/CCK or something). I will keep reading your posts and hearing more about others. Thanks for making it to this line.

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